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M. F. WILLIAMS. CAGE FOR REDUCING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1s. i92o.

1,408,055, Patented Feb.28, 1922.

Fig.1. l l/ g A figZ cinema UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILTON F. WILLIAMS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAMS PATENT,

CRUSHER & PULVERIZER COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORA- TION OF MISSOURI.

GAGE FOR REDUCING MACI-IDVES.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 18, 1920. SeriaLNo. 417,746.

' St. Louis, in the State of Missouri. have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Cages for Reducing hilachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in cages, for reducing machines the peculiarities of which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

The main object of my invention is to provide an arcuate plate cage having discharge openings with converging cutting edges at the inner face of the plate, which edges --co-operate with suitable hammers to provide a positive shear cut on wheat, oats, screenings and like material fed to it.

In the accompanying drawing on which like referenceletters indicate corresponding parts, Fig. 1 represents a vertical sectional view across the shaft and casing of a machine exemplifying my invention; Fig. 2

plan view of a portion of a cage of my construction, viewed from the inside and with the path of the hammers indicated and the direction thereof; and Fig. 3 asimilar view of the underside of said cage showing the bevel edges of the openings through which the material is discharged.

In machines of the class to which my invention is applicable it isdesirable that the wheat, oats, screenings and like material. be ground with a shear cut that is positive in its action and I provide such a cage in this ap lication.

eferring to the drawing the letter A designates the casing of a grinding mill having a hopper B, a shaft C and rotary hammers D mounted on said shaft. These hammers are of any suitable construction and shape, but are preferably of the form'shown in the drawings and having a cutting edge parallel to the axis of the shaft 0 and drawn forward with respect to the axis of the hammer so that the cutting edges operate in close proximity to a cage E. is cage in my construction is preferably of plate metal punched or perforated as later described,and bent up into an arcuate form corresponding to the hammer circle of said hammers which co-operate therewith. The plate E has discharge openings which are preferably of a rectangular shape and marked F. They may be of other angular shapes. The essential feature of such con struction is that at least two of the edges forming the angular discharge opening in each case, are inclined to one another and converging in the direction of rotation of the hammers. The object of this is in order that the material seeking escape through said openings may be retarded by the converging angle sides of the opening until the hammer passing in close proximity to the opening, shears the material on the cutting edges that are all in the plane of the inner face of the cage while it is thus held in the angle of the discharge opening. When it is finally divided enough to pass, it will be discharged through the opening. Fig. 2 shows the inner face of such a cage and the path of the hammers is indicated there. on, with the direction of movement by means of arrows. It will be seen that the cutting edges of the hammer lying parallel to the axis of the shaft are also disposed to act with a shearing out upon the angle sides that are all in the plane of theinner face and are diagonally disposed to said cutting edges. Also that these converging, slant ingly disposed edges of each opening, meet at the apex of an angle, the base of which is formed by the forwardly moving, t'ansverse cutting edge of an adjacent hammer, which base decreasesas it approaches said apex and shears interposed material held by the apex. I

The underside of said cage is indicated in Fig. 3 wherein it is shown that the size of the openings is larger on the outer face than on the innerface,and thus a bevel f is given to the opcningsby which a sharpened edge is provided at the inner face, which edge is less than a right angle. In both instances, whether the discharge openings are made practically of the same size at the inner and outer faces, or whether the openings increase in size outward as in Fig, 3 and Fig. 1, the cutting edges of the inner face are located practically in the plane of the inner face of the cage and the path of the hammers is in close proximity to this inner face. Fig. 1 indicates a cage made with discharge openings that are formed straight through the cage at one portion, and are increased in size outward as above described for another portion of the Patented Feb. 28, .1922.

cage. in one cage as shown in Fig. 1, or may be provided for difi'erent cages as occasion arises. Some material is better ground with a square edge for the openings in the cage while other material is better reduced by a sharpened edge 011 the openingsF.

The size of the openings may be suited to the material reduced and may vary accordingly, but the angular disposition of two converging sides of the discharge opening forming cutting edges that tend to act with a shearing action and to retain the material while being operated on by the cutting edges of the hammers,-is maintained in all cases. These converging cutting edges are located on the far side of the discharge opening with respect to the direction of movement of the hammers. Vhen the cage is provided with rectangular discharge openings disposed with their converging edges diagonally to the cutting edges of the hammers, the cage may be reversed end for end after the cutting edges of the far side of the opening in one direction are worn out; when reversed the cage will present converging cutting edges at. the opposite side of the opening which are not used for cutting when they are forming the near side of the opening. W hen reversed however, the converging far side of t-heopening becomes the near side, i

and the converging near side in itsreversed position becomes the far side of the opening.

I claim: i 1. The combination with rotary hammers, of a plate cage curved according to the hammer circle and having angular discharge openings therethrough, each of said openings i having two sides that converge toward each other, and each side extends slantingly transverse to the planes of rotatiton of the ham ings therethrough,each of said openings Such forms of openings may be made having two converging sides diagonally disposed with regard to the planes of rotation of the hammers, and meeting in a sharp angle and forming converging cutting edges in the plane of the inner face of the cage, and located at the far side of said openings with respect to the movement of said hammers.

3. The combination with rotary hammers, of an arcuate plate cage having angular discharge openings the'rethrough,said openings having two sides extending transversely to the planes of rotation of said hammers, and converging to the far side with respect to the rotation of said hammers, and beveled on the underside forming inward cutting edges less than a right angle on said converging sides of said discharge opening.

i. The combination with rotary hammers, of an arcuate plate cage having angular discharge openings therethrough,said openings having two converging sides slanting to the path of the hammers and meeting to form angles on the far sides and also having two other converging, reversely slanting, meeting sides on the near sides of said openings with respect to the rotation of said hammers, forming cutting edges all lying in the plane of the inner face of the cage in either direction of rotation of said hammers, to al? low reversing of said cage end for end.

5. The combination with rotary hammers having cutting edges transverse to the planes of rotation, of an arcuate plate cage disposed in close proximity adjacent to the path of said hammers and having angular discharge openings therethrough two sides of each opening converging forward and forming with the inner face of the plate cage cuttingedges that are disposed diagonally with regard to the cutting edges of said hammer the converging, meeting forward sides of each opening forining the apeX of a triangle, andthe transversely movingcutting edge oft-he hammer forming the base of a decreasing triangle that engages the ma-' terial to elfect a positive shearing converging reduction in connection with said hammers.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my s i gnature.

MILTON r. WILLIAMS. 

